Darkness Among Us
by DelilahNoel
Summary: (Set right after season one): Betty is on the hunt for her brother, but nothing is what is seems. Meanwhile, Jughead will do anything to protect her - anything. Will Riverdale's newfound darkness tear them apart or bring them closer together? "Let me take care of you the only way I can."
1. Chapter One: The Black Parade

**Chapter One: The Black Parad** e

Betty's eyes welled up with tears as she said goodbye to Archie and Veronica, watching them walk away hand in hand. Archie never looked so bad, his face covered in a red stubble. Veronica, no doubt, was the one who fixed his hair, for it had been in a red disarray around his head for days. He walked with his shoulders rounded and his head low; Veronica slid into the driver's seat of her car and drove away with him. She had told Betty of her plans to take him on a small getaway, and Betty couldn't be more please. She was thrilled Archie had someone to comfort him and to hopefully love the pain away. She wasn't even upset that it wasn't her. Had it been a few months ago, she might have felt different...

However, she knew her tears were not all for Archie.

With a clenched jaw, she headed to her own car and found herself parked in front of FP's trailer. The lights were on. He was there.

"Where were you?!" she shouted, opening the door in one quick swipe. Those were the first words she had spoken to him since the night the Serpants came to see him.

"Betty?" Jughead answered, his voice revealing how startled, yet relieved he was to see her. He worried if he'd ever see her again after that night. The pain that was etched on her face at the sight of him in that leather jacket... He wasn't sure if that would ever leave his memory.

"Betty, I..." Jughead Jones was stumbling over his words, and if she had not been so angry, she would have teased him. The man of many words couldn't find a single one to explain himself.

"He needed you, Jug," she sniffed, wiping her eyes. "He needed all of us and you didn't even show. How could you?" Her eyes narrowed. "After all Fred did..."

He stood up and shook his head. "I know," he siged, "I know, I had to be somewhere, and it was for the best." He brushed the hair out from his eyes and stared up at her, begging her not to question his actions and knowing that she was incapable of leaving it alone. She was persistent -one of the many reasons he was attracted to her.

"Where?"

"Don't worry about it."

She took a deep breath, and her eyes went straight to the black leather jacked slung over the back of his dad's old couch.

"FP must be real proud," she said, tears rolling down her face. There was bitterness in her voice, but it quickly faded. Betty wasn't good at being bitter.

"Jug, please... please don't do this to yourself."

"I'm doing this for us," he said. She noticed his hands were shaking. Too much coffee. He didn't sleep.

"For us?" She stepped forward and grabbed his hands, pulling him close. Her held tilted back to look him in the eyes. "We don't need them. I'm not leaving you, and you aren't leaving-"

"They are sending death threats," he snapped.

"I won't let anything happen to you, Jug." Her eyes, shining with old and new tears, made his stomach turn.

"They aren't meant for me," he whispered. For the first time, Betty witnessed his chin tremble and his eyes become glassy. "They want you... and I won't let that happen."

"Who wants me?" she asked, taking a step back, "Mr. Blossom is dead."

"Mr. Blossom wasn't the only one affected by my dad's confessions. He ratted out all of Blossom's guys to protect his own." He shook his head, his jaw clenched. "Betty, this isn't something you need to try to solve. This is something you need to let me handle."

"They can't hurt me."

"They can and will. They are very 'eye for an eye'. What better way to get to my dad than to threaten me? And what better way to get to me than to threaten you?" He started to pace. There was no doubt in Betty's mind that he did that for most of the day.

"We have to go to the police, Jug," she said, but he shook his head and rubbed his hand over his face in frustration.

"No," he said, "The Serpants... they are protecting me, and they promised to protect you too." He turned from his pacing and pulled her on the couch with him. He hands went to her face, his thumbs rubbing the soft, delicate skin under her eyes. Off came her mascara.

"Betty, you have show me a love that I haven't seen in a long time. You've taken care of me when-" He swallowed and shook his head. "Let me take care of you the only way I can."

Every bone in Betty's body wanted to protest it. She wanted to scream at him until he was thinking rationally... But his stormy eyes longed for her acceptance, and her heart couldn't take it.

"What about your foster family in the Southside?" she asked, her face leaning into his hand.

"They are taking care of it," he said, shrugging, "They said I can stay here."

"You can stay at Riverdale?" A selfish relief started to take over.

A smirk grew across the left side of Jughead's face, and he nodded.

"I can stay."

Betty bit her lip, knowing that there was no use in convincing Jughead of changing his mind. Not now. She would try that later.

"Juggie," she whispered, but he didn't let her continue. Instead, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers.

It was then that Betty knew Veronica was right; This was not the puppy love she had for Archie. No, this was growing bigger and deeper, and there was no turning back.

 **Author's Note:** Short chapter, I know! I had to type this on my phone due to my laptop being worked on. I just couldn't wait to start this story! Pardon any weird typos. This will very much be a Betty/Jughead centered story, and this is only the beginning. Leave a review and let me know what you think! Xoxo


	2. Chapter Two: Shark in the Water

**Chapter Two: Shark in the Water**

Snow fell down in beautiful, delicate flakes around Pop's. Outside, it looked happy; Christmas had the town buzzing. It was as if, for a second, the town forgot about everything that had happened in the last five months... Everyone but Betty.

Sitting with a classic vanilla shake and a plate of fries, Betty scoured anything she could find associated with adoptions in the Riverdale area in the last twenty four years. Nothing. If her mom was telling the truth, she made sure that her name was not tied to it in the slightest.

However, Betty was set on finding her brother; she was set on finding some sort of _happiness_ amongst the town's latest strife. FP was on trial for things Betty and Jughead couldn't begin to defend him on, and it left Betty feeling hopeless. How was she supposed to ever make Jughead feel safe enough to give up this pact he made with the Serpants?

"I see you're not packing... Your mom bought it?" Veronica asked, sliding into the seat across from her. She jumped at the sound of her voice, having been fully engrossed in her laptop.

"I have to say, I'm pretty shocked," she admitted, taking a fry when Betty scooted them toward her, "What was the alibi?"

Betty closed her lap top and grinned. "Yea, well... me too," she said, "But she is totally focused on Polly right now. I think she's trying to win her trust back before the twins are born." She took a sip of her milkshake. "Which is fine with me. I need her to focus on _anything_ other than me and Jug."

"So your parents are out of town all week?"

Betty nodded. "They think I'm getting the flu. They almost cancelled, but I convinced mom that it is a good thing I wouldn't be around Polly. They leave tonight."

Veronica's perfectly sculpted eyebrows raised high on her forehead. "Alice Cooper is running for grandmother of the year?"

Betty shrugged and wrapped her hands around her milkshake.

"Anything to get the three of them out so that I can try to find something - anything," she said, "I'm determined."

"As always," Veronica replied with a smirk, "Party tonight?"

"Not tonight," Betty said with a shake of her head. She moved her around straw in slow, big circles. Her eyes avoided Veronica's knowing gaze. "I have plans."

Veronica squealed. "With a certain Jughead?"

Betty bit her lip to hide her smile. "I have a surprise for him."

"Uh, you know he hates surprises. I think he made that clear on his birthday."

"Not like that," Betty promised, "I've learned my lesson."

Veronica stood up at the sound of her to-go order being called out. "Call me with details," she demanded with a wink.

"Of course," Betty promised, "And Veronica? Send my love to Archie?"

With a smile, Veronica nodded and walked into the winter wonderland that covered Riverdale.

Late that night, a knock sounded at the front door. With excitement plastered all over her face, she padded through the hallway in her slippers and opened the door.

There stood Jughead, holding a bag of burgers from Pop's.

"Dinner for two?"

Betty pulled him out of the cold and took the bag from him, placing it on a nearby table. She could already see the suspicion in his eyes; he was too good at reading her.

"Not yet," she said, "I have a surprise."

His face fell. "Betts... Please, for all that is holy, tell me that this isn't another party."

"No party. Promise."

She tugged him up the stairs, her smile hard to hide.

"You know I hate surprises," he groaned, his head hanging as they walked up to the second floor.

She snapped around and glared at him. "Please stop making this difficult," she hissed, making his eyebrows raise.

"I do love a feisty Betty Cooper..."

Her bedroom door opened, and right in the middle of the darkened room, was a tall Christmas tree filled with twinkling lights and delicate ornaments of all shapes and sizes. It was going to stay in storage, what with the family leaving town, but Betty couldn't help herself.

Jughead's breath caught in his throat.

"You told me once, in passing, that the last Christmas tree you had was when your mom and Jellybean still lived here," she whispered, "And I thought, well, you might like..." Her voice trailed off. She felt insecure with the silence in the room.

He turned to her, biting the inside of his cheek so hard it bled. His heart swelled, and it was overwhelming. She made him feel things that he had never felt before, and it scared him.

"I am in love with you," he whispered.

Her heart lept.

"I don't just love you," he continued, "I've always just loved you... but I am in love with you, Betty Cooper."

She tilted her head. "You've always loved me?"

He reached up and grabbed the beanie off his head, throwing it on the bed. "Maybe."

"You can't 'maybe' love me, Jug," she said, with an eyeroll. It felt like the night after the dance with Archie all over again.

He took a step forward and put his hands on her shoulders.

" _Maybe_ I had this friend that I knew liked you because of how sweet you were," he said, "and _maybe_ I was scared to admit I loved you because of how strong and feisty you are... How persistent and determined you are." His hand moved to the side of her neck, his thumb brushing her jaw line. "How thoughtful you are."

"Spend Christmas with me," Betty whispered, and he chucked a little.

"Christmas isn't until Thursday."

"Then stay until then."

"Do you think I'd ever let you stay home alone right now?" he asked, looking at her in awe, "After what they put on your locker, Betts? I've been sitting in my car outside your house every night since then."

The shaking hands made sense now; he really had been skipping out on sleep.

"Jug, that's insane," she said, then shook her head, "Sweet, but insane. You... you're really that worried?"

He swallowed hard, and she watched as his Adam's apple bounced around in his throat.

"Could I atleast convince you to stay inside the house tonight?" she sighed, not forcing him to say what he couldn't.

"I'll sleep on the couch," he whispered, reaching up and brushing her hair off her shoulder. God, he loved how beautiful she looked with her hair down and messy - perfectly flawed.

"No," she said, "You'll sleep in here... with me."

"Betty, I don't want to put you in a pos-"

"Oh my God, Jug," she groaned, "Why do you think I put the tree in here?" She reached up to push his jacket from his shoulders. "Maybe I want to keep an eye on you too, huh? And I can't do that if you're down there..."

That mischievous smirk spread across his face.

"Well, if you insist." He turned to look at the tree, his eyes shining with the reflection of the lights.

And then they heard the squeals of a car, the slamming of car doors...

The backdoor crashed open, and a voice that Betty recognized buzzed through the house: the voice of Mrs. Blossom.

 **Author's Note:** Thank you for the reviews, follows, and faves! Let me know what you think. My mind is swirling with ideas for Jughead and Betty!


	3. Chapter Three: Famous Last Words

**Chapter Three: Famous Last Words**

 _Quick Author's Note: Things are about to start getting rocky! Don't let all of that fluff fool you. Xoxo_

"Is that who I think it is?" Betty whispered, looking at Jughead with wide eyes.

He nodded, "and others."

Betty started to pull Jughead toward the closet at the sound of footsteps ascending the stairs, but he shook his head and glanced at the door to the bathroom.

"No," he whispered, "Get in the shower."

They raced toward the bathroom, Betty climbing behind the curtain. Jughead pressed his ear to the door, ignoring Betty's pleas for him to hide with her, and listened to the sounds of people rummaging through the Coopers' belongings.

Mrs. Blossom's voice was calm and cool. It was clear that they were determined to find something not someone. He doubted that they would bother with a bathroom. In fact, it sounded like they knew exactly what rooms to search. How would they knew the layout of the house?

After the longest five minutes of their lives, Jughead pulled the shower curtain back and knelt beside the tub. Betty was terrified, but not of Mrs. Blossom. No, she was terrified of all the unknown that seemed to plague her once simple home town.

"What the hell?" she whispered, and he shook his head, "What did you hear?"

Jughead's brows were furrowed.

"Do you know why she would want Polly's birth records?" he asked, "Enough to break into your house?"

Betty was taken back. "Polly's?"

"I mean, that's what makes sense. All I could make out was her wanting some sort of birth record. Why would she want your's?"

Betty bit her lip, racking her brain for a reason as to why Mrs. Blossom would go so far to break into their house to steal a birth record.

"Come on," he said, standing up and pulling her to her feet. "I'll do my best to fix the back door."

"You'll stay?" Betty asked, trying not to look as shaken as she really was. She hated feeling like a damsel in distress.

"As long as you will have me," he promised.

On Christmas Eve, Betty sat across from Veronica and Archie in their usual booth. Archie was looking better; his mother moved back to town to let him finish school in the town he called home, and while things were bittersweet, Betty had that to be thankful for. Riverdale wouldn't be the same without Archie Andrews.

"Did they take anything?" Archie asked, making Betty snap out of her thoughts.

She had told them about Mrs. Blossom breaking into her house; however, she didn't have the heart to tell them about anything else. The last thing Jughead needed was for her telling them about the Serpants. Archie would be suspicious, especially with his father's murderer on the loose. It was best, for now, to leave them in the dark.

More darkness.

Betty's fists tightened, her nails digging deep into her palms.

"If they did, it was something I didn't even know was there," she admitted, her voice surprisingly calm. "All I can think of is that she wanted proof of Polly's bloodline. They are weird like that."

Archie and Veronica both looked at each other. They didn't buy it.

"Have you told the police?"

"So that my parents will come home?" she asked, "Look, I know it's crazy, but I just can't have them come home right now..."

Betty tried to not glance at her phone enough to make them worry, but even they were starting to feel uncomfortable with how late Jughead was. The snow was getting thicker outside, making it hard for her to see the nearby road ahead.

Veronica smiled, reaching over to pat her hand.

"Hey, I'm sure he's fine," she said.

Archie nodded. "Jughead isn't one to miss a meal. Now that he's over the food poisoning."

Betty had already forgotten about the excuse she made for him missing the funeral, and a sudden sense of guilt washed over her.

A few silent moments later, the door of Pop's chimed as it opened, allowing for a cool gust of air to blow in.

Betty turned to see Jughead walk in with his head down low. Before she could say anything, he quickly slid into the booth and leaned over to kiss her cheek.

"Please don't freak out," he whispered in her ear. As he pulled back, his black eye came into view. Purple and swollen, it looked terrible. However, she did as he said and didn't say anything.

Her fists tightened again.

"What the hell, Jug?" Archie exclaimed, leaning over to get a better look. He waved him away.

"What? Betty didn't tell you?" he asked with a chuckle. "When we were climbing out of the shower after the break-in, she slipped and elbowed me in the eye."

Underneath the table, he squeezed her knee, begging her to go with it. The last thing he needed was for Archie to be on his case.

They all laughed, but Veronica gave Betty a concerned glance. Betty covered her face in fake humiliation.

"God, Jug, I'm sorry. It looks even worse than yesterday," she murmured, leaning into him as he wrapped an arm around her.

How did they get so good at lying?j

Later, Betty sat at the foot of her bed, dressed in a long t-shirt. Her hands were resting on her lap, palms up. She looked down at eight half-moon shapes scabs and took a deep breath.

Jughead came out of the bathroom, his hair wet from a shower. She had never seen him like that - naked but a towel. So vulnerable.

He knelt down in front of her and kissed her hands. It would have been sweet if she has not been so distracted by his horrible black eye- something they had not mentioned since being at Pop's.

"What happened?" she whispered, reaching out to touch his cheek.

He let out a deep breath.

"I wish it were a better story, Betts," he whispered, "It was just an argument."

When he looked up, he could tell she was not satisfied with his response.

"Look, you get a bunch of rowdy south side guys together, they start saying crude things," he said rolling his eyes, "They start talking about each other's girls, and it just got out of hand..."

"This was over me?" she asked, "What did they say?"

"I'm not telling you that," he growled, standing up. Her hand dropped down to her side. "It doesn't matter. I didn't like it. I punched a guy in the face. He punched a little harder."

Betty had tears in her eyes.

"I want you to quit," she begged, "Please, Juggie, I can't... I can't watch you get hurt like this. I can't watch you lie and sneak around and-"

He gave her a pained look.

"Betty, I told you," he said, shaking his head, "It's the only way I can keep you safe and stay here in Riverdale with you."

And then Betty did the one thing that hurt her the most - the one thing that she knew she could do to protect him.

"Then maybe you and I aren't meant to be, Jug," she croaked, her chin trembling, "Maybe you need to leave."

"What? Leave tonight?" he asked, his eyebrow furrowing. The lights from the Christmas tree bounced off his glassy eyes, making him look child-like for a fleeting moment.

"No," she whispered, "I mean for good."

She looked down at her hands. They were in tight fists.

"Get out, Jughead."

He was stunned, looking as if something had hit him square in the stomach. The color had drained from his face.

"Betty? Wh-"

"I told you," she said, eyes avoiding his, "Get out."

After he stood there, staring at her in disbelief and silently begging her to tell him she was joking, he threw his clothes on and left.

She has never seen him look so hurt.

And she did that to him. She did it to him because she loved him -God, she loved him- and it was the only way she could save him.

 **Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed! Leave a review and let me know what you think! Xoxo**


	4. Chapter Four: All Time Low

**Chapter Four: All Time Low**

 ** _Author's Note: So, I am a huge music person! It inspires a lot of my different pieces. Thinking about making a chapter by chapter playlist to convey the mood. Anyone interested? Xoxo_**

School was back in session, and Betty had not laid her eyes on Jughead since the night he left her house. In fact, no one had see Jughead at all. She hoped, even if it killed her, that he left for Toledo. Maybe his mom took him in; maybe he found a foster family somewhere away from the Southside... These were the only things Betty could think of to keep herself from feeling like the scum of the Earth.

"For someone who was the dump-er," Veronica started, "You sure have managed to drown yourself in a lot of milkshakes. It's been two weeks, and you said it was for the best. What's wrong, Betty?"

Betty bit her lip and shook her head. It was hard to lie to her best friend, but despite everything, she was still trying to protect Jughead.

"You're not telling me everything," Veronica said, "And that's not fair - I tell you everything about me and Archie!"

"Too much," Betty agreed.

Veronica rolled her eyes and playfully nudged her shoulder. The two girls walked along the side walk, having just left Pop's. Betty had made a point to go everyday, sitting for several hours and hoping to see Jughead. Unfortunately, Pop's said he had not seen him in weeks.

Betty kicked at the snow and let out a sigh. Maybe she was actually right- he left town and never looked back.

"Any breakthrough with your brother?" Veronica asked, breaking the silence.

"Nothing," she admitted, "I searched the house before Mom and Dad came back home, and all I could find were mine and Polly's hospital records and birth certificates... Maybe Mom burned them?"

Veronica stopped dead in her tracks.

"Betty, I thought you told me that's what Mrs.Blossom was looking for in your house?"

Betty's eyes lit up.

"If she didn't take Polly's," she whispered, "Then who's records did she want?"

"Sounds like FP isn't the only one who knows things," Veronica said, "You think she would tell you?"

Betty bit her lip and shook her head, turning back toward the direction they were walking. "Not a chance, but... FP might."

Of course, Betty had other motives. If FP could get her a lead on her brother, good. If he could give her an update on Jughead, great.

Later that evening, Betty found herself at the county jail. She looked out of place in her pale pink sweater and tan pea coat, her hair pulled up into her signature pony tail. Her heels clicked as she walked along the concrete floor, following an officer to FP's cell.

FP didn't look half bad. She assumed he had been working out to pass the time, and if she had to guess, his lack of access of alcohol probably helped his heath.

"Well, if it ain't Alice Cooper's daughter," he said, looking up from the comic book he was reading. His expression, of nothing else, displayed amusement.

"Betty," she replied.

"I know," he said, setting the comic book off to the side, "Just still amazes me, I guess."

Betty looked confused, sitting down on a chair outside of the cell. The way the light from the window shined on her made her look so innocent, so pure...

"What amazes you?"

"That you would want anything to do with my son," he said, cocking his head to the side.

Betty looked down at her hands. "About that..."

"He told me," FP interrupted, sparing her from saying it out loud, "I told him to let it go and move on. It was for the best... Our worlds, ya know, they don't mix well."

Betty cleared her throat, trying not to let her emotions get the better of her.

"How is Jughead?" She asked, "Did he go to Toledo?"

FP scoffed and shook his head, chuckling a little bit. "Toledo is some fairytale his mom put in his head," he said, rolling his eyes and leaning back. He was so casual with his mannerisms, yet Betty's heart was beating hard and fast. She felt like a mouse in the presence of a lion.

"She's not in Toledo," Betty slowly murmured.

"Never has been," he said, "She's been in the pen for years. Ain't coming out anytime soon." He gave her a look. "Drug problem."

"And Jellybean?"

"Living with grandparents down in the States," he said. At this, his expression became solemn. "Neither of us have rights on her, and they don't want Jughead around. Afraid he's in too deep to be a good influence."

Jughead had been fed lies for years. Betty's stomach turned a flip, and her eyes welled up with tears. Quickly, she wiped them away before FP noticed.

"So," she began, clearing her throat again. Her hands were balled in firsts, her palms slick with fresh blood. "Where is he?"

FP gave her a strange look. "He's with the Serpants. Where else would he be?"

Betty knew she needed to change the subject or she was going to end up vomiting all over the floor. How could she do this to him? She abandoned him with no other choices...

Betty stood up from her chair and slid her purse back on her shoulder.

"I need to know if you know about my brother," she said, taking a deep breath, "My parents put a baby up for adoption, and I know you know-"

"She didn't put that baby up for adoption," FP said, shaking his head, "He's over in the Southside with his dad. Always has been."

Betty's bottom jaw nearly hit the floor.

"What?" FP asked, standing up, "Are you... Do I need to call for some help?"

"My mom had a baby with another man?"

FP gave her a smirk. "Sweetheart, you don't know a thing about your mother, do you?"

He let out a chuckle, amused with her exasperated expression. For a second, Betty could see the family resemblance.

"Your half Serpant, ya know," he said with a laugh.

 **Author's Note: This chapter is a tad shorter, but I do plan to update quickly. Lots of things are about to come to the surface... Don't worry, Bughead is endgame. Let me know what you think! Xoxo**


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